The Best Types of Grass for Lawns in North East

What’s the secret to a great lawn if you live in the Northeastern part of the US? It’s two fold and comes down to grass seed type and timing. Here is a basic guide to getting a great looking lawn this summer in New England.

1. Start in the Fall: Ideally, you should aerate the soil in your yard and sow new seed in the fall. The aeration process is simply puncturing lots of small, deep holes in the soil in order to add oxygenate the soil and allow for the seeds to put down deep roots. Aerating the soil yourself is difficult, to do it properly you need an expensive machine. This is one job you’ll want to hire out and it should cost around $200 for a lawn care professional to do the aeration.

2. If you didn’t do anything last fall for you lawn, then you can still do it in the spring. The earlier in Spring the better, especially if your area experienced a mild winter. Aerate and sow seed in the spring and the new grass will still have enough time to establish roots and grow vigorously over the summer.

3. The best grasses for New England include a mixture of cool season grasses, such as; Kentucky Blue Grass, Fine Fescues, Tall Fescues, and Perennial Ryegrass. Also, look for seed that contains endophytes, it’s a compound that makes the grass resistant to common grass-eating bugs that dwell in New England.

4.Fertilize your lawn in late April, use a 3-1-2 NPK fertilizer.

5. If you’re prone to pests or grubs or just want to take preventative measures, then apply pesticide in late April as well.

Also, don’t forget to make sure your lawn mower is in working order before the season begins. Ideally, get it tuned up in the winter. This way you avoid the rush homeowners in the late spring/early summer.